Identity area
Reference code
Beaton/D/1/8/3
Unique identifier
Title
Date(s)
- March 21 1961 (Creation)
Level of description
Item
Extent and medium
2p paper
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Photographer, artist, writer, and designer of scenery and costumes. Educated at Harrow and St John's College, Cambridge, 1922-5. Made his name as a photographer through portraits of the Sitwells. Employed by Vogue in London and New York. Published 'The Book of Beauty' (1930). Photographed the Duke of Windsor's wedding, 1937. War photographer, 1939-45. Designed 'Lady Windermere's Fan', 1945. Designed costumes for 'An Ideal Husband' and 'Anna Karenina', 1948. Worked on 'The School for Scandal', 1949, 'Quadrille' for Noel Coward, 1952, 'Turandot', 1961, and 'La Traviata', 1966. Designed costumes for 'My Fair Lady', 1956, and for the film version in Hollywood, 1963. His play 'The Gainsborough Girls', 1951 and 1959, was unsuccessful. Published 'The Glass of Fashion' (1954), and six volumes of diaries. Exhibited photographs at the National Portrait Gallery, 1968. Knighted 1972.
Repository
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Typescript letter, in response to Bing's letter dated 6th March, regarding his involvement in producing the stage designs for "Adriana Lecouvreur". Beaton writes that he wanted a short break after having worked on "Turandot", but having done some preliminary work and having developed a greater appreciation of the music through conversations with his neighbour, the music critic, Desmond Shawe-Taylor, he is eager to progress further with "Adriana Lecouvreur". He would, however, prefer to set the opera in the Edwardian period, rather than the eighteenth century, which Beaton feels has been "over-done". He also proposes a meeting with Nathaniel Merrill [stage director for the Met between 1956 and 1985], for further discussions before he becomes engaged in other summer activities.